MANILA, Philippines - The country's unemployment problem may further drive many Filipinos to look for jobs abroad, the Catholic Church said Saturday.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) issued the statement in the observance of National Migrants' Sunday.
Apart from soaring unemployment, the ECMI also cited underemployment, labor contractualization, and low wages as reasons Filipinos are not encouraged to stay put and are taking opportunities to work abroad to improve their living conditions.
"Until the country truly improves the economy and can really provide decent wages and livelihood for the poor, Filipinos will continue leaving even to the extent of risking their very own lives," read the statement.
ECMI cited the number of Filipinos who were caught smuggling drugs to China last year, some of whom had been executed as examples.
The CBCP commission appealed to the country's political leaders to do something for the country so that Filipinos will not be forced to look for jobs overseas.
"The Philippine Church could not wait for the government to create more jobs to meet the mounting number of new graduates each year who may join the ranks of the unemployed," the ECMI added.
"Until jobs become available for Filipinos, the Church has the moral obligation to tell and prepare them for their migration journey," the group stressed.
National Migrants' Sunday is a yearly event that celebrates and recognizes the heroism of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as well as their families.
The Archdiocese of Manila started the event in 1986 and since been celebrated annually on the first Sunday of Lent.
This year's National Migrants' Sunday is organized by the Archdiocese of Cebu. Although the main celebration will be in Cebu City, various dioceses in the country are also commemorating the event by holding several activities.
Meanwhile, the research department of the House of Representatives reported that the proportion of families e considered consistently poor based on family and expenditure, has not significantly changed in the country.
The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) explained that "chronic poor" families or those who make do with consistently small income jumped to 3.9 million in 2009 from 3.3 million in 2003.
In partnership with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the CPBRD noted that some of the figures include the "transient poor" or those classified as poor during a given point in time, but were previously non-poor for at least one year during the period of study.
"The dynamics of poverty in the country, including the difference between chronic and transient poverty and the attendant factors, further aggravates poverty," PIDS senior researcher Celia Reyes said.
In a hearing before the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, Reyes explained that one of the factors that aggravate poverty is called "natural shocks," referring to natural calamities such as typhoons and floods.
She added that "man-made shocks" also drive more families to be poor due to the adverse effects of the global financial crisis and spike in food and fuel prices, noting that food-related coping strategies are common responses, as food resources are often severely hit by these kinds of shocks.
PIDS President Jose Yap expressed enthusiasm on the continuing collaboration and mutual support between the House of Representatives and PIDS in conducting research for policy initiatives with the new PIDS corner in the Legislative Library.
Yap lauded the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) for the poor as an effective anti-poverty program of the government, focusing on the chronic and transient poor.
ACT party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio demanded the biggest chunk of the program budget to be earmarked instead for the education of the poor after the Aquino administration allotted P22 billion for 2011 and P38 billion for CCT in 2012.
Embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona has maintained he was falsely accused in his impeachment, as he lamented President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's "hatred" against him.
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